Archives for July 2015

Tomorrow is time for New Evangelists Monthly to begin a new edition. Today, I would like to bring to your attention 3 original, brief essays that you may have missed. As I reread them now, they are as pertinent today as when I wrote them 5 years ago. If you don’t have time to read all three, I especially recommend the first one — Social justice, often misunderstood and misappropriated.

We hold that all human life is sacred, from the moment of conception to natural death. The respect for human dignity is the basis of our social teaching. Simply put, every person is our brother or sister and should be treated accordingly by us individually and by government. We are one community in support of each other and the valid promotion of common good. We call this solidarity.

It is important to note that no US political party embraces the true social justice concepts embodied in Catholic teaching. Their public goals and hidden agendas are often at odds with the genuine teaching. The Catholic Church does not endorse any political party. The Church also does not endorse any form of government. However, it specifically condemns socialism.

You may be a member of many organizations. They all have rules, created by people, usually for good reasons. You may disagree with some rules. You may lobby to change them. In many cases you could even morally ignore them. The Church is uniquely different. It was instituted by Christ to guide us to the salvation He earned for us on Calvary. He personally and directly gave the Church its authority. He promised its protection. To be disobedient to the Church is to be disobedient to God.

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.” (Genesis 12:1-4)

As Christians we are called to follow the Lord. If we are to respond to that call we must trust in God. We must learn to place our desires and our will below that of God’s. That is not an easy task. We are taught from childhood to be self-reliant and to make our own way. Placing our way secondary to God’s way is not something we find easy to do. However, there is ample evidence throughout the bible that those who do so are rewarded through the blessings of God.

If someone you trusted asked you to leave everything you knew, what would you do? Leave behind your family, friends, and home; take your spouse and go to a place you had never heard of. Would you go? Would you even consider going? If you decided to go how would you explain your decision to friends and family”

“Well, the person who told me to go is someone I really trust,” you might say.

“Really, and who is this person and how do you know he will do what he says?”, you would probably be asked. Your friends and family, maybe even your spouse, would be quite skeptical of your decision. They might even seek professional help to convince you of the foolishness of your decision.

But that is exactly what God asked Abram to do. And Abram placed his trust in God. He took his wife Sarai, packed up everything they had and went where God told him to go. The story of Abram and Sarai can be found in Genesis, chapter 12 through 25. With nothing but trust in God they left the land of their family and followed where the Lord led them. No questions, no “what ifs”, just the faith that God would take care of them. The land Abram was going to was totally unknown to him and he would have had no way of knowing what he might find there. But his trust in God enabled him to follow God’s will without question.

I have a hard time picturing someone today responding as Abram did. Most of us would want a lot more information and some assurances of what we were expected to do in this new place. Would we be welcomed or would we have to fight our way in? How long will it take us to get there. How will we eat and live on the trip? What can we expect once we get there? Question after question after question would arise. But would we have the faith to go”

Abram’s trust in God was rewarded not only in his blessings but in earthly wealth. We are told in Genesis 13:2 that Abram became very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Abram had done what God had asked and God delivered on His promises, as He always does. If we accept God and trust in Him without questioning why, he will always keep his word to us. It’s when we refuse to trust in God and try to do things our own way that we get into trouble. God will let us lead the way if we want, even though he knows full well that we will head straight into a ditch without his help. He wants to show us the way, but won’t force us to follow Him. The choice is ours.

But God was not yet through with Abram. He established a covenant with him, promising him that, even though he had been childless, his own son would be his heir and that his descendants would be as the stars in the sky. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Genesis 17:4-5) Having your named changed by God is a indication of the importance of what you have done in faith to God. Remember, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter and made him the rock upon which he built his church.

He also told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in a land that was not theirs for four hundred years, but that they would eventually be freed and led into a land flowing with milk and honey. This foretold the Israelites slavery in Egypt and the sojourn to the promised land. Again Abraham accepted God’s word without question. Once again God would keep his promises. Abraham’s descendants would suffer cruel slavery under the Egyptians, but would be brought to freedom and become the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people.

If we were told that our family would suffer slavery, but would eventually be free and receive many blessings, how would we react? I suspect many of us would say, “No thanks.” We would choose to go on about our lives never knowing what God had in store for us. Once we refuse God’s guidance, we also refuse any blessings that God had intended for us as reward for our faith. If we wish to receive God’s blessings we must be willing to accept his will for our lives.

God would once again test the faith and loyalty of Abraham. “He said, ‘Take your son, your only begotten son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2). As if he hadn’t been through enough to prove his trust of God, Abraham was now asked to sacrifice his only son to God as a burnt offering. Yet once again Abraham trusted God without question and was prepared to accept God’s will. I can’t imagine the pain he endured during his trip to Moriah to sacrifice Isaac to God.

But God would not allow Isaac to be sacrificed. Once Abraham made ready for the sacrifice an angel of the Lord intervened and a ram was provided for the sacrifice instead. God would not allow the evil of human sacrifice. But even in this, Abraham demonstrated to God he trusted enough to do whatever God asked of him, accepting that God would never ask him to do evil. Even if he didn’t understand the good to come of his action, he accepted that it was the only outcome God would allow.

Abraham was blessed by God throughout his life because of his trust in God. He died at the age of one hundred seventy-five and was still in good health when he died. He was buried next to Sarah, his wife. His entire life was lived in trust of God, regardless of the challenges and tests he had to endure. This is the trust God wants from all of us in our lives. Unfortunately it seems that this kind of trust is virtually non-existent in our world today.

The book of Daniel, chapter three, tells of another great test of trust in God. King Nebuchadnezzar had made an image of gold that the people were required to worship. Whoever refused would be thrown into a fiery furnace. Three Israelites, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to fall down and worship the golden image. The king made ready to have them thrown into the furnace and demanded to know who the God was that would deliver them such a fate. They responded, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.” (Daniel 3:17)

Their response infuriated Nebuchadnezzar, who had the furnace heated to seven times the normal temperature before having them bound and thrown into the furnace. The three walked around in the flames praising God. When the king saw what was happening, he called them from the furnace and found that the flames had not even singed a hair and there was no smell of the fire about them. The king then made a decree that anyone who spoke against the God of the Israelites would be torn limb from limb. Through their trust in God Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not only protected from the flames but won the trust and honor of the king.

Today it’s sometimes difficult to get someone to even go to Mass on Sunday as God told us to do in the third commandment. Even then, many walk in at the last minute and leave as soon as possible. If they don’t trust God enough to follow the relatively simple command to keep holy the Sabbath, how can they ever trust enough to know that God would protect them from a fiery furnace? Would we have enough trust to know that even if it were God’s will to allow us to perish in the furnace, He would still be with us and bring us to paradise with Him”

“And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And He called his disciples to him, and said to them, ‘ Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.” (Mark 12:41-44) Jesus blessed the widow who gave only a penny to the offering not because of the amount of her gift, but because of what that gift meant to her.

Many today, as in Jesus’ day, give from their abundance rather than their need. If your contribution isn’t causing you to make sure it is part of your budget instead of just what you have left over, perhaps you should reconsider. God will provide; do you trust Him enough to give of your need as the widow did”.

In our lives today we trust in many things; our family, our friends, our priests, our doctors, and even our political leaders. Mostly, however, we seem to trust only in ourselves. How many of us trust in God enough to willingly undergo hardship for Him? Would we understand and trust that God wills only good for us even though we may not understand the reasons at the time? The trust shown by Abraham, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and the poor widow who gave of her need are the examples we should follow. Pray for the strength to trust in God as they did.

“Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:4)

This week: Planned Parenthood’s summer baby organ sale continues (for special customers only). Their explanations are confusing, so here is a translation table. Britt Hume (and others) see this for what it is. 4 Marines were sacrificed to political correctness. Some more wonderful technology for the disabled. A vortex created by a dam intake, seen up close. Robotic brick laying machines.

— 1 —

A second national Planned Parenthood executive has been recorded selling baby organs. Here, Dr. Mary Gatter haggles over prices because she wants a Lamborghini. To that end, they use “less crunchy” techniques (when killing the baby to be harvested).

— 2 —

Many people may be unfamiliar with the dialect of English used by Planned Parenthood when discussing their business. Here is a short table of common terms and phrases used by PP and their actual meanings:

4 Marines were sacrificed to political correctness as we continue to ignore the threat posed by radical Islam. They did not die on some far away battlefield, but right here at home. Instead of addressing the root cause, the administration will in effect blame them — they wore the uniform. We are so messed up. This young (22 years old) reporter gets it:

— 5 —

Here is another good project to help the physically disabled. This electric powered wheelchair balances on two wheels while driving on even ground. To climb and descend stairs or overcome bigger obstacles, a set of tracks can be lowered dynamically keeping the user level.

— 6 —

Drones can go to places that are far, far to dangerous to otherwise get near. In this case, the intake of a dam near the Texas/Oklahoma border was opened creating a swift vortex. You wouldn’t want to get near this…

— 7 —

Lately I have noticed the emergence of robotic bricklaying machines from several companies. These machines work alongside people to make the process much faster and uniform. Interesting…

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was begun by Jennifer Fulwiler and is now continued by Kelly Mantoan. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Kelly for hosting this project!

When we Catholics initially enter a pew or when we exit the pew before leaving church, we “genuflect.” That means that we briefly kneel, bending our left leg and touching our right knee to the floor. Why?

Some possible reasons:

It is a charming habit.

Everyone else does, so to fit in.

It is a tradition, a “Catholicy” thing to do!

We are acknowledging the fact that we are literally in the presence of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. He is really, substantially before us in the Holy Eucharist – in body, blood, soul and divinity – reserved in the tabernacle. We acknowledge this and submit to His divine Kingship in humble adoration.

The correct answer of course is the last one. Genuflecting reminds us of who and where we are. We are not God and He is. We are in the MOST sacred space, where the passion, death and resurrection or our Savior is made present through the Mass. At that once and for all time sacrifice, we are assembled with far more people than those of the parish present. We are together in communion with all the angels and saints (known and unknown) and with the faithful of every past and every future Mass everywhere.

Sometimes when we genuflect this is not foremost in our mind. We may be thinking of other things or acting out of habit. That friends, is really sad. Properly genuflecting may be the most important thing we do to prepare our hearts and minds for the Mass. A quick mini-curtsy or head nod toward the front does not do it.

Catholic brothers and sisters, recommit yourselves to getting this right. Do so at the very next Mass you attend (and every one after that):

Think.

Find the sanctuary lamp. Is it lit? You are in His presence.

Face the tabernacle and touch you right knee to the floor. Completely.

Optional: bow your head (I prefer that) and/or cross yourself (the preference of most other people).

If you need to steady yourself, by all means hold on to the pew as necessary. If you physically can not do this, just do what you can (we are never expected to do the impossible).

Non-Catholic visitors, welcome! I wrote how your visit might seem like you are in a strange land, but will summarize. We Catholics believe (actually, know beyond any doubt whatsoever) that our communion bread literally becomes Christ just as He said. Not all of His most Holy Body is consumed by those receiving. That which is not is “reserved” (safely and respectfully kept) in a “tabernacle” (a special dwelling place harking back to that which Moses constructed). While rare (e.g. after Holy Thursday and throughout Good Friday), it is possible that the tabernacle is empty. When empty, Christ is not present and we do not genuflect (it would not make sense). A special lamp (typically a candle in red glass) is mounted close to the tabernacle and lit as a signal to us when He is present. For your visit, please just have a seat for now (it’s OK, really). We pray that you too will one day join us at the Eucharistic table.

This week: Now we know why Planned Parenthood has been such a staunch defender of late-term abortions (hint: the lucrative market for baby organs). Long neglected tropical diseases are being tackled by a San Diego non-profit bio-tech firm. A good shepherd in Madison, His Excellency Robert Morlino. A satirical take on unruly children at church. The New Horizons spacecraft has finally reached Pluto. Sensing “in air” motions for device control using a tiny radar chip. What are the causes of Islamic extremism (hint: it is not mostly poverty).

— 1 —

I do not understand the outrage people have over Planned Parenthood’s latest “PR kerfuffle” (or as the AP refers to it simply the “disposition” of a fetus). Is PP somehow more evil for developing another revenue stream related to their abortuary operations than they already are for killing millions of innocent human beings? They are evil. This is what they do. They kill the innocent for money.

For those who think the above 9 minute video is out of context (I don’t see how), the entire uncut video (2 hours, 42 minutes) with PP’s national executive, Senior Director of Medical Services Dr. Deborah Nucatola (an accomplished abortionist in her own right) is here.

— 2 —

A San Diego non-profit bio-tech firm focuses on long neglected tropical diseases. This is an area that can help many poor people but which offers little financial reward.

— 3 —

Inheriting Madison is a tough beat for a faithful, orthodox bishop. Of course the diocese has (somewhat miraculously) many devout Catholics, but it also has quite a sprinkling of those with “less orthodox” viewpoints.

Anyway, since becoming bishop His Excellency Robert Morlino has grown the number of men in priestly formation from 6 to 35, ordaining 6 this year alone (the first time in 42 years). This is not at all unusual. Where faithful, orthodox bishops reign seminaries flourish. Where “progressive” bishops rule, they wither.

— 4 —

Those wacky folks at Lutheran Satire have done it again! Here, “Mr. Thompson” and “the Vicar” ponder what to do with those annoying ragamuffins who interrupt the service.

— 5 —

The NASA New Horizons spacecraft reached Pluto on July 14th. This trip began 9 1/2 years ago. Pluto is not exactly nearby. When it zipped by, it began sending back high-resolution images of the planet’s surface for the first time ever.

— 6 —

Virtual, “in air” sensing can be difficult, bulky, expensive and inaccurate. Google has been working on this in their “Project Soli” resulting in a tiny chip which senses via radar. This could open all sorts of new possibilities.

Project Soli is developing a new interaction sensor using radar technology. The sensor can track sub-millimeter motions at high speed and accuracy. It fits onto a chip, can be produced at scale and built into small devices and everyday objects.

— 7 —

What makes someone become an Islamic extremist? Is it poverty, lack of education, a search for meaning? Dr. Haroon Ullah, a senior State Department advisor and a foreign policy professor at Georgetown University, shares what he discovered while living in Pakistan.

Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don’t warrant their own full post. This idea was begun by Jennifer Fulwiler and is now continued by Kelly Mantoan. So, some Fridays I too participate when I have accumulated 7 worthy items. Thank you Kelly for hosting this project!

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Enjoy this month’s edition of New Evangelists Monthly – an informal, dynamic, crowd-sourced “meta-magazine” showcasing the best posts faithful Catholic bloggers. In this and every issue, you will find many different, but faithfully Catholic viewpoints, insights and perspectives.

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